Dog Trainer Chetz Yusof Remanded In Segamat

KUALA LUMPUR: Muslim dog trainer Maznah Mohd Yusof has been remanded for a day until tomorrow to aid investigations into the three-year-old controversial Aidilfitri video greeting featuring dogs, which recently sparked a storm over the Internet. Maznah, who is under probe for sedition, was sent to Johor early this morning where the remand order was granted by a magistrate. Lawyers N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya confirmed the transfer this morning. When contacted, Surendran said the police had last night said that Maznah would be sent to Johor for investigations as the first police report against her was lodged there. “She should be in Johor by now,” Surendran said, explaining that Maznah was kept in a lock-up here while awaiting the arrival of an investigating officer he identified as Inspector Othman from Johor’s Segamat police headquarters. He confirmed that Maznah will be investigated by the Segamat police under section 298A of the Penal Code and section 4 of the Sedition Act. An offence under section 298 of the Penal Code is about “uttering words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person.” Later this morning, Latheefa also confirmed in a text message that Maznah has been sent to Segamat. She said Othman had confirmed that Maznah was being taken to Segamat’s magistrate’s court for an application for an order for further remand. Surendran claimed that his client was being harassed unnecessarily. “It’s unnecessary, the video is already there, what is there to siasat (investigate) about, it is pure harassment,” the PKR vice-president said. “We are demanding that she be released immediately,” he said. Surendran also said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) recorded Maznah’s statement yesterday. He also claimed that personnel from the police Special Branch “interrogated her for hours”, saying that it was against the law as they allegedly lack powers to interrogate. In the 105-second video reposted on YouTube on Tuesday, Maznah is seen walking and bathing her three dogs as the “Takbir Raya”, or Muslim call to prayer traditionally reserved for the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, plays in the background. The juxtaposition appeared to be a reference to the wudhu, or ablution performed by Muslims before prayer; dogs are also considered unclean by adherents of the predominant faith in Malaysia. Maznah, however, was reported by news site Mynewshub.com on Tuesday as saying that she made the video in 2010 to show that dogs are not “haram” (forbidden) as widely believed, and that Muslims could keep canines as pets. “Dogs are not ‘haram’; if they are wet, just ‘samak’,” she was quoted as saying. “Samak” is the ritual cleansing performed by Muslims when they come into contact with items considered ritually unclean, of which wet dogs are considered to be by some followers of the faith.